Decorating for Fall w/o Pumpkins

[olliepop]

Although I know I can always throw them in the compost when we're done decorating with them, it seems wasteful to me to buy pumpkins just to adorn my porch. We never really use the innards for anything -- my children don't really like anything pumpkin, not even the seeds.

So rather than go on the annual hayride and pumpkin picking this year, we are going to pick apples. Those we do use for apple pie.

Does anyone have any ideas on other ways to decorate for fall, both inside and outside?

The less expensive, the better. TIA!

[Jaxinator]

A maple leaf "bouquet". Maple leaves attached to skewers in a vase, held in place with pebbles in the bottom. I dunno, I just made that up, I would try it if I had some maple trees around here.

Autumn wreath for the front door, you can get the supplies to make one pretty cheap from Michael's, and you can reuse it

Apples in a basket lined with leaves

Wheat sheaves in a vase, or stand alone

[CookiePie]

Mums in continers on the porch can be put in the ground even after they die. I just read that this year & I'm going to try it! I'm also thinking of making a scarecrow with my youngest using her outgrown clothes that aren't in good enough shape consign or donate. A neighbor gave me a couple of mexican bottle gourds to turn into birdhouses, but until they dry they are a nice green color so I put them on the porch with the mums & they look really nice. We will get 1 pumpkin for dd to carve. But we all really love the seeds! A bail of hay will look nice on the porch. I have done it in the past & then spread it on my garden after I plant garlic. But I don't have plans to do that this year, since the garlic doens't care if it is mulched with free leaves from our yard.

On our dining room table we keep the biggest pyrex bowl that we own, full of our fresh picked apples. I also picked sugar pumpkins & placed them around as well. I will cook & freeze them to be used in pie & pancakes & such.

[luv-my-boys]

I like to decorate this time of yr with an autumn/fall theme rather than a halloween one that way Im not constantly putting up or taking down decorations.

Depending on where you live there are lots of things in nature that can work really good plus they are free.

1. Acorns: we collect a big gallon ziplock bag of them each yr from neighobrhood trees. FYI you can use a dab of all purpose glue to glue on the "caps" so they look nice. I use opaque gold acrylic paint and use a few drops in a ziplock add acorns and toss. It adds a nice golden hue that is opaque and look like some I saw at pier 1 for a ridiculous amt of $. I use them on the dining table in glass bowls or candle holders.

2. I also like to collect leaves from various trees as they change color.

3. Pine cones (you can sterilize in the oven plus it helps w/sap) look nice as well.

4. I use pumpkins but you could use various gourds. I have also discoverd these fake pumpkins called funkins. They are so realistic looking but you can use yr after yr. they are also carvable if yu wanted to go down that route.

4. Look around for branches. In a wooded area I've found some nice birch branches that I use well into winter/spring. In fall I decorate them with various novelties and then in winter with white lights.

5. I started to see cranberries in stores. I like to use them in arrangements with things like cut flowers or even candles.

[olliepop]

Thanks. Those are really great ideas. We have TONS of acorns in the yard, as well as maple leaves. I can't wait to start collecting!

[OkiMom]

My grandma always had a Cornucopia on her kitchen table with fake leaves/grapes/fruits (so they didn't go bad, she kept the Cornucopia our for 2-3 months depending). Ive always wanted to get one for a centerpiece but never have. I'm not exactly an interior design person so nothing I ever do looks "right" to me so I just don't. Maybe I should just do it and admire it for the fact I'm trying.
One of my friends collects fallen leaves and makes leaf garlands with her children each year to decorate their windows. They always turn out really nice.

[tsfairy]

Pine cones and fall leaves.... hay, wheat stalks... cranberries, apples.

I'm decorating in shades of red and brown this year instead of the usual orange. So apples, pine cones, add in a few orangey leaves and some mossy green accents. I haven't decided what to do outside.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

What about decorating with corn stalks? My mother always tied some to our mail box post and around anything else vaguely post shaped when I was a kid. I loved how the mailbox looked. I have also seen bales of hay used in autumn decorations. You could spread it as mulch when you are done with it.

[jimblejamble]

You can make a beautiful garland from leaves and beeswax. Go gather some pretty Fall leaves, melt some beeeswax, and dip the leaves in it. Let it cool on some wax paper then tie the leaves together. It looks so pretty!

[Llyra]

My kids don't like pumpkin either, really. But what I do with ours is to cook the pumpkin flesh, and then puree it and freeze it, and then I slip it into sauces and gravies during the year, in small amounts. They never notice it, but it doesn't get wasted. It gives gravy a wonderful sweet richness that I LOVE.

[olliepop]

Wow - thanks! The great ideas just keep on coming!

[Mom2SammyJoe]

This doesn't totally help you, but I smiled reading the post. We LOVE pumpkin foods. My husband is a teacher, and on Nov. 1st each year he sends an email to his co-workers asking for any uncarved pumpkins they may have decorated with. Last year at least a dozen were brought to his shop. We cooked and canned the pumpkin and have been enjoying it ever since. We even make pumpkin butter!

[sunanthem]

Originally Posted by Jaxinator

Autumn wreath for the front door, you can get the supplies to make one pretty cheap from Michael's, and you can reuse it

This is what I am working on right now- I just bought a grapevine wreath there for only $2.50 last week, and I have started adding to it some maple leaves in fall colors, cut out of wool felt, and I added a little straw scarecrow to the side, and it's looking cute!
I also love candles in fall! You can get little glass votives at the craft shop for pretty cheap- I like to take fall colored tissue paper and modge podge it on the outside for some cool custom luminaries.

[treegardner]

I buy the faux pumpkins at the craft store to decorate with. I use them every year.

[mumm]

Originally Posted by luv-my-boys

1. Acorns: we collect a big gallon ziplock bag of them each yr from neighobrhood trees. FYI you can use a dab of all purpose glue to glue on the "caps" so they look nice. I use opaque gold acrylic paint and use a few drops in a ziplock add acorns and toss. It adds a nice golden hue that is opaque and look like some I saw at pier 1 for a ridiculous amt of $. I use them on the dining table in glass bowls or candle holders.

3. Pine cones (you can sterilize in the oven plus it helps w/sap) look nice as well.

4. Look around for branches. In a wooded area I've found some nice birch branches that I use well into winter/spring. In fall I decorate them with various novelties and then in winter with white lights.
.

Great Ideas!

We use pumpkins (You don't eat the big ones. They are gross!) but we grow them ourselves so it is part of the fun. We also use the corn stalks, but again we grow the colored 'indian" corn ourselves.

Another idea is weaving with the branches you find. Take a couple of the summers favorite t-shirts (ie, the ones that get worn every other day and are all stained, stretched, holey, etc) and cut it into strips and weave it with the branches. Cool looking and a reminder of the summer time.

We do decorate for halloween, but only because kids insist. I hate it. They love it.

[proudmomof4]

We decorate a glass plate with a candle according to the season: bluish candle with shells, pieces of driftwood, and glass nuggets ("water drops") for summer, orange candle with interesting wood pieces, acorns, rosehips, nuts, and fall leaves for fall. This also makes a nice centerpiece on the table.